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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. scale — in music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. club — for golf
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spell — letters
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pit — in a race
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. spring — the season
  14. spell — magic
  15. snap — to click
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. spring — a coil
  19. scale — size or range
  20. spring — of water
  21. stock — goods
  22. pit — a hole
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com